Zhao took issue with the article’s argument that China is ensnaring Pakistan in a debt trap and said CPEC loans constituted only $6 billion of Pakistan’s $95 billion international debt. He also refuted the stated figure of $23 billion owed to China .

In response to a section of the article that says China’s investment in Pakistan comes with “military strings attached”, Zhao said the correct way to phrase the cooperation between the neighbouring countries would be “defence cooperation and technology transfers”.